NEWS /
Jan 19, 2006

Dai Baker, Travis Fox, Top WHNPA TV Winners

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House News Photographers Association has announced that ITN photographer DaiBaker has been named “Photographer of the Year” for 2006 in the “Eyes of History” video contest, and NPPA member TravisFox of washingtonpost.com was awarded video “Editor of the Year.” Judging of the WHNPA still photography contest will be held in Washington later this month.

WHNPA said Baker, who has worked for ITN for 12 years, also won “Photographer of the Year” in 2005, giving him back-to-back wins. Baker’s work for 2006 included several pieces on Hurricane Katrina. “I am especially proud of the fact that people assumed I had a lot of time to film these pieces, but in fact we only ever have one or two days at the most,” said Baker. WHNPA video judge TimWall of CNN in Atlanta said, “There was nothing but excellence in every aspect of his work.” AliGhanbari, a WHNPA judge from WJW-TV in Cleveland, said, “Baker has a great eye, from framing to punctuation to working with his reporter.”

The WHNPA “Editor of the Year” is Travis Fox of washingtonpost.com. This is Fox’s third title. He won “Editor of the Year” in 2002 and 2003 and “Photographer of the Year” in 2002. “As journalists, we hope to make a connection between our readers and the people on whom we report,” Fox said. “These awards will hopefully bring more attention to the people and issues I tried to illustrate last year, whether it is an authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan or the victims of Hurricane Katrina.”

“The work produced by our members is a remarkable visual record of the past year,” said WHNPA president SusanWalsh of the Associated Press. “Baker and Fox should be very proud of their accomplishments. Our talented members cover every aspect of our world, from local to national to international stories. Our members are the best of the best.”

Judges for the video photography contest were ElaineFisher of WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, PA; Ghanbari of WJW-TV in Cleveland, OH; and Wall of CNN in Atlanta, GA. Judges for the video editing contest were JeffChase of CNN; MerryMurray of KSNW-TV in Wichita, KS; and JeramyRosenberg of KMGH-TV in Denver, CO.

The top winners of the still and television contests will be honored at the annual “Eyes of History” Gala on May 6, 2006, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington. The black-tie event celebrates all the winning photojournalists and nearly 1,000 guests, including the President of the United States, government dignitaries, and industry celebrities, will attend.

The WHNPA still photography contest will be judged January 28-29, 2006, at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Design. Judging is open to the public WHNPA encourages students, professionals, and anyone interested in photography to attend.